Quotes from Ilhan Omar

Life in Somalia before the civil war was beautiful. When the war happened, I was 8 years old and at that stage of understanding the world in a different way.

This is a land of immigrants, and most come here for opportunity, a second chance.

One night, militia tried to break into our home, and the exterior was riddled with bullets.

I would have loved to have heard a story like mine. I could have used it as an inspiration to get by.

Learning is not limited to the classroom, and Minnesota shouldn't limit its education resources there, either.

We are accountable to each other; having an equitable Minnesota benefits everyone, not just the disenfranchised.

We need to be constantly reminded that this is a representative democracy, and we need to be in tune to what people are talking about.

I invited President Trump twice now to come meet my family and my community because he seems to have a lot of opinions about the kind of people we are.

I'm going from the state House to the opportunity to serve in Congress and serve the people in the Fifth, which is a great honor and a great opportunity... It is something that is exciting to a few people, but, you know, often times it is important for us to own the moment, celebrate it, and then move on.

I was a teenager when 9/11 happened. And I really was uncomfortable with many members of our community feeling like they had to strip themselves of their identity in order to mitigate the violence and the fears that they were feeling.

I will never apologize for standing up against oppression and injustice in Israel or anywhere else.

Israel is an ally of the United States, and I think as much as you would look to your neighbor to your friends to live out the same values as you are, we want to make sure that our allies are living out the same values that we push for here.

I have been very fortunate to have a partner who really stepped up and have wonderful children who do a lot of things that make it easy for Mommy to do this work.

We didn't really grow up in a gendered environment. We didn't have a hierarchy. My family is fearless. They truly believe that they have something to contribute to society and that it is an obligation as humans. I try to embed in my children that they have something to contribute. And that you give because you have to, not to be appreciated.

Since 2011, I am happy to say that I have reconciled with Ahmed Hirsi; we have married in our faith tradition and are raising our family together. Like all families, we have had our ups and downs, but we are proud to have come through it together.

Insinuations that Ahmed Nur Said Elmi is my brother are absurd and offensive.

The one percent must pay their fair share.

My kids are the reason I continue to strive for something better. They know - as kids who are Muslim, Somali, black Americans - that they've always been part of a struggle and that change isn't easy.

I come from people who dreamed of a free democratic system. I believe so strongly in the process and equal access.

I was always made aware of inequality in society, that there was a class system. In Somalia, we have clan structures. My mother's family is ethnically not Somali, and so we spoke often about what it meant to be 'other' in that way.

We must see others' struggles as our own, and their success as our success, so we can speak to our common humanity.

For me, as an immigrant who didn't speak the language, when I would have struggles as a kid, my dad would say, 'Once you are able to communicate with people, they're able to connect with you beyond your otherness.' That is really the message I've carried throughout my life.

I've always said you get what you organize for.

It's our time to fight for the America we know we can have.